Meet Jacques Garnier

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacques Garnier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacques, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“One must imagine Sysphus happy” which is the last line to Albert Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus. Having first read this in my 20’s i could not imagine being condemned for eternity to carry this huge boulder up the hill only to have to kicked back down and carried back up for eternity. But upon reflection and some life experiences, it occurred to me that Camus was right. In many ways, happiness comes from accepting responsibility for one’s life. No excuses. No blame. This is perhaps easier said than done but i believe that Camus was right.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think that the most impolratant thing in an artist’s life is to continue to evolve. Success can sometimes, and often does, get in the way of progressing ones vision. Resting on one’s laurels will produce stale and eventually unintersting work. After developong a series for a few years i usually reach a saturation point where i feel i’ve probed the issue long enough and there nothing much new or fresh to add. At that point, i usually retreat into some type of creative funk while trying to find a new vision to explore. This may take some time and is often frustrating but also always productive in the long run.

My work has always been an evolution. Starting with the Legacy Project (a 15 year documentary of a shuttered marine base), making the World’s Largest Photograph, studies of abandonned shacks in the Mojave desert and more recently exploring the infinite possibilities of utilizing negative space to quiet the noise and eliminate the distractions in what we see. I describe this more recent work as ‘reductive.’ Whether shooting architecture or nature, i attempt to reduce the clutter which we find all around us and find the poetry in these isolated images. We live in such a fast-paced and chaotic environment that i am trying to create work that forces us to slow down and engage with the work – a quiet meditation if you will.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living in California offers a plethora of oppotunities both natural and cultural. Driving up the coast through Santa Barbara, San Simeon, Big Sur, San Francisco and into Marin Country would probalbly be the trip i would plan taking as many of the smaller, scenic roads as possible. If in LA, i would certainly visit LACMA, the Getty, the Broad and the Disney Center. Since art is mainly in my perview, i would visit as many galleries and museums as possible – if they are of interest. Eateries would include Pink’s, the Farmer’s Market and Philippe’s.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Every journney takes a village so to pinpoint one individual would be unrealistic. I have to first thank my wife Gertie who has always allowed me the freedom to follow my photographic vision and more importantly has provided invaluable insights and criticism. The members of. the Legacy Project of which i have been a member since being invited by Jarry Burchfield, Mark Chamberlain, Douglas MCCulloh, Robert Johnson and Clayton Spada – whose creativity and mentorship has helped me refine my skills and vision while providing deep and lasting frienships. As far as photographers that continue to inspire i woiuld mention Josef Koludelka, Michael Kenna, Many Ray, Harry Callahan and André Kertesz. Other major artistic inspirations include Mark Rothko and Barnett Newmann.

Website: www.jacques-garnier.com

Instagram: garnier6463

Image Credits
©Jacques Garnier